Dinitrochlorobenzene Reactivity of Women with Cancer of the Ovary, Cervix and Corpus Uteri

General immune competence was tested by contact skin reactivity to dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in 22 women with preinvasive and 185 with invasive cancer of the cervix, 115 with cancer of the ovary, 65 with cancer of the corpus and 50 control patients. Although DNCB reactivity was least affected when the tumor was localized (stage I), about 25% of women with cancer of the ovary and cervix and nearly 50% of women with cancer of the corpus showed impaired reactivity. A correlation between the initial reactivity and tumor behavior was found at 12 and 24 months of follow‐up. At 12 months, the response to treatment was significantly better in the normal DNCB reactor: 97% response in patients with cancer of the cervix and 76% response in those with cancer of the ovary. At 24 months, there was favorable tumor response in 79% of normal DNCB reactors compared with 47% and 50%, respectively, of those with reduced reactivity and those with anergy. Alterations in the level of DNCB reactivity were observed when patients were tested sequentially. During 24 months of follow‐up, the retention of or increase in reactivity was associated with complete or partial tumor response, whereas impaired reactivity was frequently observed in patients with nonresponsive, recurrent or progressive disease. These findings indicate the value of DNCB testing in monitoring tumor behavior.